Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-q6k6v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T01:45:04.310Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Readiness to Practice Regarding Disaster Medicine and Preparedness Among University Health Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2020

Nour Hisham Al-Ziftawi ,
Fatima Mohamed Elamin  and
Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim Open the ORCID record for Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim [Opens in a new window]
Nour Hisham Al-Ziftawi
Affiliation:
Clinical Pharmacy and Practice Section, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Fatima Mohamed Elamin
Affiliation:
Clinical Pharmacy and Practice Section, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim*
Affiliation:
Clinical Pharmacy and Practice Section, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim, Head of Research and Graduate Studies – Pharmacy, Professor of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar (e-mail: mohamedizham@qu.edu.qa).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives:

The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge (K), attitude (A), and readiness to practice (rP) levels regarding disaster medicine and preparedness among health profession students at Qatar University.

Methods:

A survey-based study was carried out to assess medical, pharmacy, and health sciences students’ KArP levels using pretested and validated questionnaire. Student’s t-test, analysis of variance, correlation, and linear regression were used with an alpha level of 0.05.

Results:

The difference in the mean KArP level between genders was not significant (P > 0.05). Students from the College of Health Sciences had significantly higher KArP levels than those from the College of Pharmacy (101.5 vs 90.0; P = 0.033). Overall, Qatari students had better knowledge, attitude, and readiness to practice scores and total KArP scores than non-Qatari students. Moreover, students who were born in Qatar also had better knowledge, attitude, and readiness to practice scores and total KArP scores than students who were born outside Qatar. Significant direct moderate correlations were found among the 3 KArP parameters (P < 0.001). Knowledge and attitudes were indicated to be significant predictors of readiness to practice (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Students from the health colleges at Qatar University have moderate disaster medicine preparedness

Keywords

crisisconflictdisaster managementdisaster medicinedisaster preparedness
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , June 2021 , pp. 316 - 324
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Access to Medicines - A Fundamental Element of the Right to Health. [cited December 25, 2018]. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/AccessToMedicines.aspx (Accessed January 24, 2020).Google Scholar
World Health Organization. Medicines Supply. [cited December 18, 2018]. http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/access/supply/en/ (Accessed January 24, 2020).Google Scholar
WHO-PAHO. Natural Disasters − Protecting the Public’s Health. Scientific Publication No. 575. Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization; 2000.Google Scholar
Ochi, S, Hodgson, S, Landeg, O, et al. Medication supply for people evacuated during disasters. J Evid Based Med. 2015;8:39-41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alrazeeni, D. Saudi EMS Students’ Perception of and Attitudes toward their Preparedness for Disaster Management. J Educ Pract. 2015;6:110-116.Google Scholar
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Disaster Preparedness. [cited December 19, 2018]. https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/what-we-do/disaster-and-crisis-management/disaster-preparedness/ (Accessed January 24, 2020).Google Scholar
Sinha, A, Pal, DK, Kasar, PK, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice of disaster preparedness and mitigation among medical students. Disaster Prev Manag. 2008;17(4):503-507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corrigan, E, Samrasinghe, I. Disaster preparedness in an Australian urban trauma center: staff knowledge and perceptions. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(05):432-438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hui, Z, Jian-Shi, H, Xiong, H, et al. An analysis of the current status of hospital emergency preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks in Beijing, China. Am J Infect Control. 2007;35(1):62-67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhiheng, Z, Caixia, W, Jiaji, W, et al. The knowledge, attitude and behavior about public health emergencies and the response capacity of primary care medical staffs of Guangdong Province, China. BMC Health Serv Res. 2012;12:338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Naser, WN, Saleem, HB. Emergency and disaster management training; knowledge and attitude of Yemeni health professionals- a cross-sectional study. BMC Emerg Med. 2018;18(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s12873-018-0174-5 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berhanu, N, Abrha, H, Ejigu, Y, et al. Knowledge, Experiences and training needs of health professionals about disaster preparedness and response in southwest Ethiopia: a cross sectional study. Ethiop J Health Sci. 2016;26(5):415-426.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ahayalimudin, N, Osman, NN. Disaster management: Emergency nursing and medical personnel’s knowledge, attitude and practices of the East Coast region hospitals of Malaysia. Australas Emerg Nurs J. 2016;19(4):203-209. doi: 10.1016/j.aenj.2016.08.001 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nofal, A, Alfayyad, I, Khan, A, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of emergency department staff towards disaster and emergency preparedness at tertiary health care hospital in central Saudi Arabia. Saudi Med J. 2018;39(11):1123-1129. doi: 10.15537/smj.2018.11.23026 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Markenson, D, Woolf, S, Redlener, I, Reilly, M. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness of health professions students: a multidisciplinary assessment of knowledge, confidence, and attitudes. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2013;7(05):499-506.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wunderlich, R, Ragazzoni, L, Ingrassia, PL, et al. Self-perception of medical students’ knowledge and interest in disaster medicine: nine years after the approval of the curriculum in German universities. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(04):374-381.10.1017/S1049023X17000280CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ragazzoni, L, Ingrassia, PL, Gugliotta, G, et al. Italian medical students and disaster medicine: Awareness and formative needs. Am J Disaster Med. 2013;8(2):127-136.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mortelmans, LJ, Bouman, SJ, Gaakeer, MI, et al. Dutch senior medical students and disaster medicine: a national survey. Int J Emerg Med. 2015;8:77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Su, T, Han, X, Chen, F, et al. Knowledge levels and training needs of disaster medicine among health professionals, medical students, and local residents in Shanghai, China. PLoS One. 2013;8(6):e67041.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barrimah, I, Adam, I, Al-Mohaimeed, A. Disaster medicine education for medical students: is it a real need? Med Teach. 2016;38(Supp1):S60-S65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Qatar-Gulf crisis: All the latest updates. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/qatar-diplomatic-crisis-latest-updates-170605105550769.html Accessed on March 31, 2019.Google Scholar
Raosoft, Inc. Sample Size Calculator. [cited January 18, 2019]. http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html (Accessed January 24, 2020).Google Scholar
Merriam-webster.com. Definition of KNOWLEDGE. 2018. [cited April 13, 2019]. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knowledge (Accessed January 24, 2020).Google Scholar
Cambridge English Dictionary. Definition of ATTITUDE. Dictionary.cambridge.org. 2018 [cited April 13, 2019]. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/attitude (Accessed January 24, 2020).Google Scholar
Merriam-webster.com. Definition of READINESS. 2018 [cited April 13, 2019]. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/readiness (Accessed January 24, 2020).Google Scholar
Alkhalili, M, Ma, J, Grenier, S. Defining roles for pharmacy personnel in disaster response and emergency preparedness. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2017;11(4):496-504. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2016.172 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
IBM Corp. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24.0. Released 2016. Armonk, NY: IBM CorpGoogle Scholar
Wallemacq, P, Below, R, McLean, D. UNISDR and CRED report: economic losses, poverty and disasters 1998-2017. UNISDR. www.unisdr.org.file:///C:/Users/mohamedizham/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe/TempState/Downloads/CRED_Economic_Losses_10oct.pdf Google Scholar
Insurance Information Institute. Facts + statistics: man-made disasters. 2018. [cited April 13, 2019]. https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-man-made-disasters#Man-Made%20Disasters,%202017 (Accessed January 24, 2020).Google Scholar
PreventionWeb. Qatar - Disaster & Risk Profile. 2018 [cited April 13, 2019]. https://www.preventionweb.net/countries/qat/data/ (Accessed January 26, 2020).Google Scholar
Yao, CW. Better English is the better mind”: Influence of language skills on sense of belonging in Chinese international students. J Coll Univ Student Hous. 2016;43(1):74-88.Google Scholar
Zhang, Z, Zhou, G. Understanding Chinese International Students at a Canadian University: Perspectives, Expectations, and Experiences. Can Int Educ. 2010;39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mortelmansa, LJ, Dieltiensa, G, Anseeuwa, K, et al. Belgian senior medical students and disaster medicine, a real disaster? Eur J Emerg Med. 2014;21:77-78.Google Scholar
Kaji, AH, Coates, W, Fung, CC. A disaster medicine curriculum for medical students. Teach Learn Med. 2010;22(2):116-122. doi: 10.1080/10401331003656561 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, LA, Carson, DS, Green, IB. Disaster 101: a novel approach to disaster medicine training for health professionals. J Emerg Med. 2010;39 (2):220-226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, J, Levy, MJ, Hsu, EB, et al. Disaster curricula in medical education: pilot survey. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(5):492-494. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X12001215 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Woodard, LJ, Bray, BS, Williams, D, et al. Call to action: integrating student pharmacists, faculty, and pharmacy practitioners into emergency preparedness and response. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2010;50(2):158-164. doi: 10.1331/JAPhA.2010.09187 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bajow, N, Djalali, A, Ingrassia, PL, et al. Proposal for a community-based disaster management curriculum for medical school undergraduates in Saudi Arabia. Am J Disaster Med. 2015;10(2):145-152. doi: 10.5055/ajdm.2015.0197 Google ScholarPubMed
Bajow, N, Djalali, A, Ingrassia, PL, et al. Evaluation of a new community-based curriculum in disaster medicine for undergraduates. BMC Med Educ. 2016;16(1):225. doi: 10.1186/s12909-016-0746-6 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wiesner, L, Kappler, S, Shuster, A, et al. Disaster training in 24 hours: evaluation of a novel medical student curriculum in disaster medicine. J Emerg Med. 2018;54(3):348-353. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2017.12.008 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kaiser, HE, Barnett, DJ, Hsu, EB, et al. Perspectives of future physicians on disaster medicine and public health preparedness: challenges of building a capable and sustainable auxiliary medical workforce. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2009;3(4):210-216. doi: 10.1097/DMP.0b013e3181aa242a CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mortelmans, LJ, Lievers, J, Dieltiens, G, et al. Are Belgian military students in medical sciences better educated in disaster medicine than their civilian colleagues? J R Army Med Corps. 2016;162(5):383-386. doi: 10.1136/jramc-2015-000563 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nakura, H. Role of pharmacists in disaster medicine: required knowledge and skills. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2014;134(1):3-6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gowing, JR, Walker, KN, Elmer, SL, et al. Disaster preparedness among health professionals and support staff: what is effective? An integrative literature review. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(3):321-328. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X1700019X CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pfenninger, EG, Domres, BD, Stahl, W, et al. Medical student disaster medicine education: the development of an educational resource. Int J Emerg Med. 2010;3:9-20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seynaeve, G, Archer, F, Fisher, J, Lueger-Schuster, B, et al. International standards and guidelines on education and training for the multi-disciplinary health response to major events that threaten the health status of a community. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2004;19(2):S17-S30.Google ScholarPubMed
Sauser, K, Burke, RV, Ferrer, RR, et al. Disaster preparedness among medical students: a survey assessment. Am J Disaster Med. 2010;5(5):275-284.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Monk, G, Pradhan, S. Pharmacy schools should be involved in disaster preparedness planning at the local and state levels. Am J Pharm Educ. 2019;83(1):6968. doi: 10.5688/ajpe6968 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, AF, Kenworthy, L. Disaster relief: a look into the pharmacist’s role. NC Med J. 2017;78(3):195-197.Google ScholarPubMed